George r



(No Model.) I

G. R FORD. AUTOMATIC BOILER CLEANER.

No. 426,795. PatentedAprrZQ, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

GEORGE R. FORD, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC BOILER-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,795, dated April29, 1890.

Application filed October 31, 1889. Serial No. 328,862. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. FORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of GrandRapids, in the county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented a certain new and useful Au tomaticBoiler-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful device for collecting dirtandsolid particles which accumulate within a steam-boiler, and forexpelling the same from the boiler, the object being to collect ordirect toward a given point all the solid matter which may float uponthe water, regardless of the direction of the water-current within theboiler, and to remove such solid particles from the boiler, which objectI accomplish by the features of construction and the combination orarrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a verticalcross-section on line y 11 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a longitudinalhorizontal section of the same on liner 0: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows alongitudinal vertical section on line .2 z of Fig. 2. Fig. lshows avertical sectional view of the boiler-cleaner removed from the boiler,such View being on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 5 shows a modified formof the parts shown in Fig. 4.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

B represents the boiler.

II represents a hub provided with four wings. (Shown in Fig. 2 by R R,800.) To these wings are attached extensionplates G O C C. These platesare made preferably of thin metal, and are attached to the wings R B bybolts, screws, or by other suitable means, the same being adjustablelengthwise upon the wings in order to adapt them to boilers of differentsizes. They are also readily attached and detached from the wings, sothat plates of different lengths can be applied, if required. The hub H,which supports the wings, is hollow, and in the'example of my inventionwhich I have shown is provided with an eccentric pivoted within the hub,which eccentric is shown in Fig. 4. by S and its pivot by M.

P is a tube extending into and preferably to the lower side of the hub.The eccentric S is used merely for the purpose of attaching the hub andthe parts which are sustained by it to the tube P. The position of theeccentric shown in Fig. 4 is the position which it occupies whenperforming the function of attaching the hub to the tube.

G G G G are four floats constructed of any suitable material designed tohold the guide wings, which consist of the plates 0 C. O O and the wingsR R R R, in the proper position within the boiler. In practice I makethe plates and wings about six inches in width, and support them in theboiler so that the water-line will pass between their upper and lowersurfaces, preferably at about the middle point. Instead of using fourradial arms, three may be used, but in my opinion at least four arepreferable.

The pipe P, in my preferred form, extends upward, and is provided withan elbow, as F, a flexible coupling-joint, as E, and another elbow, asF. The flexible joint allows the pipe P and the radial arms to rise andfall with the water, thus retaining the most desirable position forreceiving all the floating particles produced by the boiling of thewater. For the purpose of more effectually collecting the solidparticles I provide a pan N, which is supported below the wings of theapparatus in order to receive any floating particles which are notcarried upward and expelled from the boiler through the pipe P.

L represents projections upon the pan, which are attached by means ofbolts or in any other suitable manner to the lugs O O. The lugs O 0project down from the hub or ,radial arms, and the pan is attached tosaid lugs by means of bolts, screws, or other suitable attachment. Thispan N is preferably shallow, and, coming in contact with the wings at ornear their outer ends, forms a receptacle which retains the solidparticles in such close proximity to the discharge-pipe P that as theyaccumulate within the pan they will be drawn out and expelled. The flexible joint E may be constructed as a ground joint, or in any othersuitable manner, which will allow the wings to rise and fall with therising and falling of the water in the. boiler. In some boilers, wherethe water is always kept at the same level or substantially the samelevel; the elbow and joint may be dispensed with and the pipe extendedperpendicularly from the hub through the upper surface of the boiler.The arrangement of the settling-basin outside the boiler and methods ofdischarging the solid particles therefrom do not difi'er from those inuse, one form of which is shown by V and connectingpipes P and P In myexperience with steam-boilers I have found that the water-currents inboilers are variable, and that in order to effectually arrest the sameitis necessary to provide means which will convey the same to a givenpoint, whatever be the direction of such currents, and my invention isconstructed with suc object in View.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to have invented, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a steam-boiler, of a cleaner consisting of acentral hollow hub, the three vertically-arranged plates radiatinghorizontally in right lines in different directions direct from the hub,terminating in j uX- taposition to the boiler shell and partially submerged throughout their length to deflect the water-currents,irrespective of their direction, to thellollow hub, a basin supportedbeneath the bottom edges of the radiating vertically-arranged plates,and a dischargepipe rising vertically from and communicating through thehollow hub with the water in the boiler, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a steam-boiler, of a cleaner consisting of acentral ho'llow hub having the three wings radiating direct there from,the three vertically-arranged plates bolted, respectively, to the saidwings, radiating in right lines in the plane of the Wings and partiallysubmerged to deflect the watercurrents, irrespective of their direction,to the hollow hub, and a discharge-pipe rising from and communicatingthrough the hollow hub with the water in the boiler, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with a steam-boiler, of a cleaner consisting of acentral hub having three wings radiating horizontally direct therefrom,the three vertically arranged plates respectively attached to the wings,radiating horizontally therefrom and partially submerged to deflect thewater-currents, irrespective of their direction, toward the central hub,a basin supported beneath the bot tom edges of the vertically-arrangedplates, and a discharge-pipe, substantially as described.

4:- The combination, with a steam-boiler, of a cleaner consisting of acentral hollow hub having pendent projections or brackets on its lowerend, the three vertically-arranged plates radiating in right lines indifferent directions from the hollow hub and partially submerged todeflect the water-currents, irrespective of their direction, to thehollow hub, a basin suspended beneath the bottom edges of thevertically-arranged plates by the pendent projections or brackets on thesaid hub, and a discharge-pipe rising vertically from and communicatingthrough the hollow hub with the water in the boiler, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presenceof two witnesses.

